Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Texas Tech on February 13, 2026 at 11 a.m.
11 a.m.
Baseball
vs Texas Tech
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Trio of Pitchers Drafted to Conclude Day Two
June 07, 2011 | Baseball
June 7, 2011
 |
||
|
||
NORMAN, Okla. - A trio of Oklahoma hurlers were drafted late at the end of day two of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Seniors Ryan Duke (25th round, 781 overall) and Michael Rocha (26th round, 811 overall) were both selected by the Philadelphia Phillies while redshirt freshman Jordan John was taken by the Houston Astros in the 28th round (850 overall) to give OU seven picks on the day.
It marked the first career selections for all three Sooner pitchers.
Since OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway took over the helm of the Sooner program at the end of the 2005 campaign, 41 Sooners have been drafted on his watch, including at least four in every season but one.
The hurlers were key cogs for the Sooners in 2011, as they helped OU finish 41-19 overall with a third-place finish in the Big 12 regular season standings and the program's 34th NCAA Tournament appearance. The staff finished with a 3.00 ERA, the best team total since 1978 (2.66).
Duke finished his four-year Sooner career as the program leader in saves with 35. He also finished second in OU history with 93 career appearances. Duke, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, was 2-1 with seven saves (sixth in Big 12) in 2011 and was on the watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
Duke, along with Rocha, helped lead OU back to the College World Series for the 10th time in program history and first since 1995.
A 2011 Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American, Rocha (10-3) led the Big 12 with five complete games in 2011 and was tied for the team lead in wins (ranked third)
and ranked fourth in ERA at 1.75. Rocha, a first team All-Big 12 selection (coaches) was also second in the Big 12 with 113 innings pitched, fifth with a .218 opponent-batting average and ninth with 82 strikeouts. The team captain, who was also a semifinalist for Golden Spikes Award, lasted at least seven innings in 12 of his 16 starts with five or more strikeouts in 11 outings. The Buda, Texas, native finished his career third all-time at OU with 27 career wins and sixth with 76 career appearances.
John, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, was 4-2 in his first season on the bump for Oklahoma. John sat out the 2010 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was named to the 2011 All-Big 12 freshman team after making seven starts with a 4-0 record . John also made 13 appearances out of the bullpen and struck out 54 batters in 61 innings pitched with a 2.35 ERA.
Along with the seven current Sooners, eight of OU's 17 signees have been drafted so far as the first 30 rounds concluded on Tuesday. Rounds 31-50 will take place on Wednesday starting at 11 a.m. CT.
-----------------------------------------------
Smith and Buechele Go in the 14th Round
Oklahoma juniors Burch Smith and Garrett Buechele were drafted in the 14th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday. Smith, who twice has been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2009 (49th round) and 2010 (20th round) was taken by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round with the 443rd pick.
It marked the second straight selection for Buechele, who was drafted in the 18th round by the Texas Rangers in 2010. This season, Buechele was selected in the 14th round (447 overall) by the San Francisco Giants.
Smith tied for the team lead with 10 wins this past season with Michael Rocha. The duo was the first pair of 10-game winners at OU since 2006 (Daniel McCutchen and Steven Guerra). In addition to ranking third in the Big 12 in wins, Smith is sixth with 90 strikeouts. The Tyler, Texas, native won eight of his last 11 starts and lasted at least five innings in nine of the outings. He lettered two years at Howard Junior College before coming to Norman and helped lead the team to the 2009 NJCAA National Championship.
Buechele was voted a first team All-Big 12 honoree for the second straight season by the league's coaches. Buechele also served as a team captain for the second straight year as he started all 60 games at third base. A second team All-American, Buechele put up some impressive numbers in 2011. He leads the Big 12 with 63 RBI and also ranks in the top 10 in hits (77), total bases (112) and home runs (8). The preseason All-American and member of the 2011 watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, led OU with 18 multi-RBI games with at least one run driven in during 32 of the 60 games. He also hit safely in 45 of his 60 starts.
-----------------------------------------------
Seitzer Selected in 11th Round by the Tampa Bay Rays
Junior first baseman Cameron Seitzer was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 11th round of Tuesday's 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. The Overland Park, Kan., native led OU in hitting this season with a .358 clip, a mark that ranks third in the Big 12 Conference.
In 2011, Seitzer was named to the All-Big 12 second team as voted on by the league's coaches after starting all 60 games at first base, with hits in 47 of the outings. In addition, he was named to the 2011 Academic All-Big 12 first team.
He posted a strong finish to the 2011 campaign by reaching base safely in 18 of the last 19 games with 24 hits and 13 RBI. Seitzer hit safely in 30 of the last 38 games with 19 multi-hit games, a category he led all Sooners in this season with 26.
In addition to ranking third in the Big 12 in batting average, Seitzer is fourth with a .456 on-base percentage, sixth with 17 doubles, seventh with 76 hits and 10th with a .514 slugging percentage. Seitzer also posted a .990 fielding percentage as one of two Sooners (Garrett Buechele) to start every game in the field.
In 163 games played at Oklahoma, Seitzer hit .327 with 24 homers, 38 doubles and 115 RBI. In 2010, he helped lead OU back to the College World Series with a .305 batting average, 16 homers and 53 RBI.
Tuesday's selection is a career first for Seitzer, who's father, Kevin, is the hitting coach for the Kansas City Royals and played 12 Major League seasons.
-----------------------------------------------
Ogle is the First Sooner Drafted in 2011
Junior catcher Tyler Ogle was the first Sooner off the board in the 2011 MLB Draft on Tuesday as he was taken in the ninth round (284th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ogle is the 12th Sooner drafted in the first 10 rounds under current OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway.
It marks the first selection for Ogle who has started 161 career games in a Sooner uniform, including over 100 behind the plate where he was a semifinalist for the 2011 Johnny Bench Award, an honor presented to the nation's top catcher. Ogle led Oklahoma with nine homers in 2011 and hit .343 with 45 RBI while starting 56 of the Sooners' 60 games behind the plate. The 2011 first team All-Big selection by the league's coaches threw out 22 out of 62 potential base stealers and posted a .980 fielding percentage.
The San Antonio, Texas, native was voted by his teammates as one of four team captains for this season after leading OU in the 2010 postseason with a .452 batting average that culminated in the program's 10th College World Series appearance and first since 1995.
Ogle had another strong finish this season as he hit .365 over the final 32 games with 28 RBI and six homers, including a .444 clip in the three games played in the Big 12 Championship. He currently ranks second in the Big 12 with 53 runs and a .464 on-base percentage, while posting the league's fourth-best slugging percentage (.552) and fifth-best batting average, while also ranking sixth with nine homers and 45 RBI and eighth with 34 walks.
Ogle is also a standout in the classroom after being named a first team Academic All-Big 12 member in 2011 and a second team honoree in 2010. He is a career .330 hitter with 21 homers, 108 RBI and 110 runs scored.
Johnson and Carmichael Postgame vs North Carolina
Monday, June 02
BB Highlights: OU 9, UNC 5
Monday, June 02
Johnson, Dickerson, Willits Postgame vs North Carolina
Sunday, June 01
BB Highlights: OU 17, Nebraska 1
Sunday, June 01
